You may have heard of freeze-dried dog food and do not understand what is the hype behind this frozen dog food for dog owners. Freeze-drying is the process that removes the moisture from your food and preserves the flavor and the nutritional value of your pup’s food or delicious treats and plus, it has a longer shelf life and extra protein.
The best freeze-dried food options that we’ve picked for your pup are
- Nature’s Diet Simply Raw Freeze-Dried Raw Whole Food Meal
- Stella And Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Dinner Patties
- Stella And Chewy’s Meal Mixers
- Steward Raw Naturals Freeze-Dried Dog Food
- Bixbi Rawbble Freeze Dried Beef Recipe
- Grandma Lucy’s Macanna Freeze-Dried Salmon Recipe
- PureBites RAW Freeze-Dried Chicken Breast Treats
In this article, we’re talking about our top picks for freeze-dried foods that your dog will love and some bonus tips on how to get your pet to love this type of food. We will also touch on what are some major benefits when feeding freeze-dried dog food to your beloved pup.
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The Best Freeze-Dried Dog Food Brands
Nature’s Diet Simply Raw Freeze-Dried Raw Meal
This is one of the more affordable raw freeze-dried foods out there. You have two options you can choose from beef and turkey.
Now, this is a whole food meal made with lots of healthy stuff for dogs like Omega 3,6, and nine, a whole egg, fish oil, probiotics, bones, and lots and lots of veggies and fruits including sweet potato that dogs simply just adore.
Before you decide on what food to buy for your dog, you need to keep in mind that this is a raw diet that contains raw food which not every dog can stomach easily, especially if they’re not used to it.
All of you pet parents need to be prepared for any raw-diet side effects like throwing up and diarrhea that can easily happen from raw ingredients if you don’t do your research properly.
Stella And Chewy’s Freeze-Dried Dinner Patties
These dinner patties are everything your little furry friend craves and will love you for it. We always want the best of the best for our pets, and let me tell ya, this is it.
This raw dog food is made from raw meat that has been grass-fed(only the best), lots of veggies, organ meat, and fruits. It makes a well-balanced meal for your dog in any situation.
These dinner patties are great for your dog’s coat, teeth, and sensitive stomach. It’s also safe for dogs with special dietary requirements like food allergies or food sensitivities.
Stella And Chewy’s Meal Mixers
This is one of those types of foods that is a great kibble topper if you want to give your dog an extra source of lean protein. You can choose your topper from a few options chicken, beef, salmon, turkey, duck, and lamb.
All of the ingredients are raw, cage-free, and organic, making this an excellent option for your dog’s diet. You can even add this meal mixer to your pet’s wet food for a more balanced diet.
Stewart Raw Naturals Freeze-Dried Dog Food
This dog food brand is also an affordable brand that’s been building its customer’s trust for long 44 years. This grain-free dog food makes a great meal topper or can substitute your dog’s current food.
Unlike some other pet food brands, Stewart Raw Naturals has all of their ingredients written on the back of their food packages and even a description on how to properly transition your dog to raw feeding without the risk of food poisoning.
BIXBI Rabble Freeze-Dried Dog Food
Bixbi Rabble is dry dog food made with 98% beef and organ meat like beef liver. It has all the essential nutrients and vitamins that your dog requires on daily basis.
You can add this to your pup’s kibble diet or give it to them instead of kibble. BIXBI Rabble’s dog food is made from real meat and is suitable for small races of dogs as well.
Grandma Lucy’s Macanna Dog Food
If you want to surprise your beloved pup with an awesome product meal then this is definitively the dog food for you.
This healthy freeze-dried food is packed with superfoods and natural vitamins that help your dog with healthy digestion, healthy skin and coat, and many other benefits.
The superfoods I’m talking about are coconut, hemp hearts, kale, salmon(excellent source of 8 vitamins and Omega fatty acids), and turmeric, all famous for their many health benefits and natural preservatives not just for dogs, for humans as well.
This grain-free food can help your dog deal with sensitive skin as well as make its coat shine bright like a diamond.
PureBites Chicken Breast Dog Treats
These tasty dog treats are made with one ingredient and one ingredient only, chicken. That’s it. That is the whole thing about these treats, they are basically raw, freeze-dried chicken pieces that are very aromatic and so tasty.
Unlike other freeze-dried raw dog foods, these are dog treats or awards, not a well-balanced meal so be careful to not over-feed your pup with this stuff. Chicken is a great source of protein that your dog will love and even ask for more.
What Is Freeze-Dried Dog Food
The freeze-drying process preserves raw ingredients like fresh meat, fresh veggies, and fruits and delivers a balanced meal to your dog that is safe, shelf-stable, and lightweight, kind of like astronaut food. Freeze-dried dog food is raw and full of all the essential nutrients that your pup needs for healthy development.
Now, there are different freeze-dried options for dogs but the way it’s made is typically the same.
How Does Freeze Dried Dog Food Work?
Freeze-drying is a low-temperature way of drying food that removes moisture but still manages to keep all the nutritional content.[Source]
When freeze-drying, the raw ingredients are frozen and go through a strong vacuum process that makes the frozen water from the food evaporate.
Freeze-drying is often compared to the dehydrating process which is also a great way to make food for dogs or pets in general.
Dehydrated dog food is food that has been through the process of removing moisture at low temperatures, similar to the freeze-drying process.
What Are The Benefits Of Freeze-Dried Dog Food?
Every pet parent loves to shower their pet(s) with lots of love and provide them with the best, balanced diet and nutrition. For my dog specifically, that balanced nutrition is through feeding them raw dog food(aka raw nutrition).
Food Safety
For some people, raw feeding seems very unsafe and they choose the closest thing to it, and that is freeze-dried food.
Freeze-dried food is made from freeze-dried meat that is, in fact, raw, but it is considered to be much safer for both dogs and humans.
Raw food is generally safe and much healthier for dogs but it can cause some serious trouble for us, their owners.
Dogs can easily process raw meat and the harmful bacteria that is in raw meat, but we can’t say the same for humans.
With freeze-dried food, you should worry less about contaminating your living space with bacteria and disease from raw meat since it already has been eliminated by the freezing process. [Source]
Minimally Processed
Freeze-dried dog food is minimally processed and provides balanced nutrition for dogs, which is much better than giving them just plain dry dog food.
You can even find freeze-dried dog treats and food toppers that you can put into your pup’s fresh food.
Plus, not to say that working with raw food is extremely dangerous to humans and can contaminate your whole living space with harmful bacteria.
I know I said it a million times but it’s something that should be repeated many times for the sake of our health
Convenience
Freeze-dried food has the same convenience as kibble, the food is dry and very easy to manage, and you don’t need to worry about your pup spilling their food everywhere and making a complete mess.
This is why a freeze-dried diet is all the hype right now. Because it’s frozen, you don’t have to go through the messy process of scooping out the food and making a mess everywhere.
The use of freeze-dried food is simple, just rehydrate it with the help of some warm water and voila, you have a ready, quick meal that your dog will love so much.
Complete Meal & Long Life Stages
As I said, freeze-dried food is a type of complete meal that is nutritionally balanced and provides your dog with a sufficient source of protein, amino acids, and real meat products(like organ meat, ground bone, etc..), and the ingredients are carefully selected for your dog’s safety.
Plus, freeze-dried pet foods have long life stages. All you need to do is to properly care about the food and keep it in its packaging until the next use. Its shelf life is long and doesn’t require its own space in the refrigerator or freezer.
Since freeze-dried food is actually just raw food that has been dehydrated, it has the same visible benefits as regular raw food.
You might notice that your dog will have a much shinier coat, healthy skin(which is especially good for dogs with skin problems), and high, healthy energy levels. [Source]
How To Make Your Own Freeze-Dried Dog Food
If you happen to have a freeze dryer then you can easily make all of your pup’s meals or food topper that you can put on top of their current food at home. It’s convenient, it’s pretty easy, and hey, is there a better food option than a home-cooked meal?
First, you gotta pick your types of food. Start with the meat ingredients of your food. Organ meat like chicken liver, beef liver are always a great idea to incorporate into your dog’s meal.
You can also use muscle meat pieces some fresh collard greens, broccoli, and even some cooked brown rice(not recommended for dogs that are trying to lose weight or dogs with sensitive stomachs).
If you have time on your hands and want to add some extra protein and calcium to your dog’s meal, grind some beef bone as well.
For a more complete diet, you can add in some healthy grains as well but that is completely up to you. Some dogs require a grain-free diet.
After you’ve gathered all the ingredients, put them in your freeze dryer and set the timer.
What To Look After When Making Homemade Freeze-Dried Food
One thing that you should always, and I mean always keep in mind is to make sure that the food product (especially if it’s a primary food source) that you’re making is well balanced and is a healthy option for your dog.
Dogs need their daily source of nutrients and can get sick if they don’t get the required amount. So, keep that in mind for every meal you’re making, no matter if raw or cooked.
Switching Your Dog To A Raw Food Diet, How To Do It Properly?
Getting your dog to eat meat is easy. I mean they are descendants of wolves, right? But after years and years of evolution, we taught our dogs to eat only cooked food, and it kind of stuck with them.
But, getting your dog to eat raw food is all the talk right now in our community of dog parents. A raw diet can be either very suitable for your dog or it can be completely wrong.
It really depends on your dog’s metabolism and immune system. So make sure to check with your dog’s veterinarian for more information.
The benefits of switching your dog to raw food are a shinier coat, improved dental health, healthier skin, increased energy, and smaller stools. [Source]
Raw food diet isn’t just getting your dog to eat raw meat and raw organs but raw eggs, fruits, and vegetables as well. It may cause your dog some digestive problems at the beginning of the switching process so make sure you do it gradually.
First, start with giving your dog only a quarter of a portion of raw food(it can be either dehydrated, freeze-dried, or freshly made) mixed with their regular kibble and begin to enlarge the portion every few days.
This way your dog’s stomach will get used to the change from dry food to raw food and the transition will be much easier.
[Related Article: How Much Dog Food To Feed Your Puppy]
Is Freeze-Dried Dog Food Dangerous?
No. Freeze-dried dog food is definitely safe for your dog. Like we mentioned above, freeze-drying removes the moisture from the food and preserves the flavor and the nutritional value of your pup’s food or delicious treats and plus, it has a longer shelf life and extra protein.
You also do not need to worry about any type of bacteria or illnesses after rehydrating it as compared to raw meat.
Conclusion
Freeze-dried dog food is mainly raw food(meat, bones, organs, eggs, fruits, and vegetables) that has been dried to the point of dehydration to keep its nutrients and vitamins. It has little to no moisture to it and you can rehydrate it with a little bit of water.
The freeze-drying process makes your dog’s food so much healthier and with a longer shelf life. When dehydrated, raw meat is safe for your dog to eat so do not worry about any type of bacteria or illnesses that may come from eating raw meat.
Plus, all of the dehydrated foods that are made for raw dog food diets are very well checked and looked after. After all, it’s so important for your dog to eat food that is completely safe.
